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Report: Trump envoy told Netanyahu US will delay rebuilding north Gaza until buffer zone is secured, rebuilding could take 15 years
[IsraelTimes] Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff has reportedly promised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US will postpone the process of rebuilding northern Gaza until security plans are agreed upon to ensure the security of Israeli communities near the border with the Strip.Al-Araby Al Jadeed cites an American plan, to be funded by the US and Gulf countries, to prevent a reoccurrence of the Hamas terror group’s brutal October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel that sparked over 15 months of fighting in Gaza. The report claims that Washington wants to delay reconstruction in northern Gaza to make the area uninhabitable in the long term and to promote US President Donald Trump’s recent proposal that Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations increase the number of Palestinian refugees they are accepting from the Strip to “just clean out” the war-torn area. Israel began to allow Palestinians to return to northern Gaza this week, under a hostage-ceasefire deal with the Iran-backed terror group that came into effect last week. Reconstruction of northern Gaza is set to begin in the final stage of the three-phase accord. ‘Nothing left’ in Gaza, rebuilding could take 15 years, Trump envoy Witkoff says [IsraelTimes] There is “almost nothing left” of Gaza and rebuilding the war-ravaged enclave could take 10 to 15 years, US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff tells Axios as he wraps up a trip to the region. “People are moving north to get back to their homes and see what happened and turn around and leave…there is no water and no electricity. It is stunning just how much damage occurred there,” Witkoff tells the news website after visiting Gaza. His assessment comes days after Trump floated the idea that some Arab nations should get involved with and build “housing at a different location where [Gazans] can maybe live in peace for a change,” an idea flatly rejected by the Arab and Muslim world. Witkoff tells Axios he has not discussed the idea of moving Palestinians from Gaza with Trump. A UN damage assessment released this month showed that clearing over 50 million tons of rubble left in the aftermath of Israel’s bombardment could take 21 years and cost up to $1.2 billion. “There has been this perception we can get to a solid plan for Gaza in five years. But it’s impossible. This is a 10 to 15-year rebuilding plan,” Witkoff says. “There is nothing left standing. Many unexploded ordnances. It is not safe to walk there. It is very dangerous. I wouldn’t have known this without going there and inspecting,” he adds. Related: Steve Witkoff 01/29/2025 Breaking with Biden, Trump envoy expresses support for Israeli laws targeting UNRWA Steve Witkoff 01/28/2025 Islamic Jihad releases propaganda video with sign of life from hostage Arbel Yehoud Steve Witkoff 01/28/2025 Israel and Lebanon extend truce, with IDF troop withdrawal deadline moved to Feb. 18 Posted by: trailing wife 2025-01-31 |
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